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Rep. John Conyers not resigning from Congress 'at this juncture,' his lawyer says

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Conyers’ attorney told the Free Press on Wednesday that the congressman has "no plans to resign at this juncture" over sexual harassment claims but left open whether he might make such a decision in the future.

Attorney Arnold Reed of Southfield also disputed a report from WDIV-TV (Channel 4) Wednesday evening citing unnamed sources that Conyers plans to stay in Congress but announce in January that he will not run for re-election next year, saying the report is "not accurate, there is nothing definitive."

"Every consideration is on the table," he said.

"Right now, in our first round of talks, the theme of our conversation is, what is in the best interests of his family, what is in the best interest of his constituents," said Reed, who added that Conyers is feeling no pressure from the Congressional Black Caucus to resign despite media reports to the contrary.

Earlier Wednesday, the Free Press reported that U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus had denied that the caucus, which was co-founded by Conyers, was urging him to resign, saying, “We think that is a decision for him and his family and his constituents to make.”

The 88-year-old Conyers flew back to Detroit from Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night amid a swirl of sexual harassment allegations, and he missed several votes, including a unanimous one Wednesday in favor of requiring all U.S. House members and staff to undergo training to prevent sexual harassment.

Conyers has steadfastly denied the accusations that he made sexual advances and improper remarks, as well as groping and rubbing former female staffers, but his lawyer said the media attention forced him back to Detroit to look after his family.

Reed compared the media outside the Conyers home in Detroit to a "circus," calling it "deplorable," and said that, "As long as that goes on, Mr. Conyers will be with his family."

But facing a House Ethics Committee investigation for his alleged behavior — and for paying a settlement of more than $27,000 in office funds to a woman who had brought a complaint against him — the pressure on Conyers, the longest-serving member of Congress, is unlikely to lessen soon.

So far, three Democratic members of the U.S. House have called on Conyers to resign: U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Kathleen Rice of New York. Conyers stepped down as the ranking Democrat of the House Judiciary Committee on Sunday.

While Conyers' abrupt departure from Washington seemed to portend Tuesday that an announcement about his future might be imminent, Reed said he couldn't speculate about how long it might take for him to make a decision about his future.

"He is deliberate. He doesn't make knee-jerk decisions," he said.

Reed also said that while Conyers had a "good meeting" with some members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday, it was not one in which they told him he should resign. "They have left his decision up to the congressman, they haven't forced anything upon (him)."

That echoed Richmond's sentiments Wednesday as he said the group is "respecting (Conyers') privacy” and wants the ethics investigation to conclude rapidly for everyone’s sake. He did not answer a question as to whether Conyers should resign if the accusations are true but called the claims “disgusting” and “awful.”

Conyers still faces a difficult road, however. At least four women have complained of sexual harassment or improper behavior by Conyers and possibly others. A Washington lawyer, Melanie Sloan, told the Free Press he called her to a meeting where he was wearing only his underwear on one occasion — though she did not consider it sexual harassment.

Another staffer, whom the Free Press has not named, filed a federal lawsuit against Conyers this year alleging sexual harassment and then withdrew it when a judge refused to seal the court record.

Meanwhile, Buzzfeed reported on a complaint filed by an anonymous former female staffer that was settled in 2015 for more than $27,000 in office funds, raising questions as to whether it was proper use of taxpayer dollars. And CNN on Tuesday reported on accusations made by another former staffer, Deanna Maher, who said Conyers groped her and on one occasion entered a bedroom where she was and took off his clothes.

Maher has so far declined to talk to the Free Press about her allegation. But Reed said that Conyers is upset that CNN didn't air more of Maher's claims, an apparent dispute between her and an FBI document as to whether she wanted to prosecute Conyers or not — with her saying she did, but the document apparently saying otherwise.

"They didn’t let Ms. Maher get her story out. That bothered the congressman," said Reed. "He knows he didn't do anything wrong. ... Having said that, she's got the right to tell anyone anything she wants."

Contact Todd Spangler: 703-854-8947 or tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.